Guest post by Matt Oley, VP of Sales, Swipely. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of Food+Tech Connect.

Technology is reinventing the way people dine out, as well as what it means (and what it takes) to provide a great dining experience. Tech tools on both sides of the proverbial table are giving restaurateurs and guests new ways to interact.

Think about it: not long ago, diners remained fairly anonymous — paying with cash and recommending restaurants to family and friends through casual conversation. Now, they routinely pay with credit cards and instantly share dining experiences and photos with thousands of friends and followers across the web on sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Facebook and Instagram.

While it can seem overwhelming, technology actually simplifies the process of managing and growing a business. Having access to key insights about your business takes the guesswork out of important decisions.

Want to know how? Let’s compare a few key moments in the daily life of a restaurant GM, then and now:

Starting your day:

THEN:

NOW:

Arrive at 8:30am

Check batch reports on office computer

Find last night’s shift notes to get an idea of how the evening went

Call key contacts for clarification as needed, make notes for morning staff meeting

Base ordering decisions on anecdotal knowledge of which items are most popular, while also managing food cost

Decide which items to keep and which ones have to go

Log in to Swipely to see exactly which menu items are making you money, which are bringing customers back, and which could use some tweaks… or the boot.

On the horizon: Receive a text message when food cost on any item exceeds your preferred threshold; update your menu based on that data and finish your beer while it’s still cold.

Coaching staff:

THEN:

NOW:

Spend hours on the floor observing your team in action

Spend more hours in the office reading shift reports, and yet more hours talking with staff about challenges and opportunities

Deal with larger problems as they come up

Use server management software to quickly identify your best servers and each individual’s strengths and weaknesses.

Understand trends and immediately spot numbers that are off to resolve issues before they become serious.

Use peer coaching to encourage skill development, saving yourself time and increasing both sales and tips.

Identifying best customers:

THEN:

NOW:

Spend hours going table to table and trying to remember birthdays, anniversaries and kids’ college graduations

Manually sign off on occasional freebies for regulars

Spend some time on the floor cultivating relationships with your regulars – because it’s fun!

Use restaurant management software to know who your biggest spenders and most frequent visitors are, and offer VIP treatment accordingly.

Use details from a reservation system like Opentable to learn about each evening’s customers; use that information to delight them and keep them coming back.

On the horizon: Get a daily report with birthdays, anniversaries, favorite menu items, beverages and pairings, and server preferences for tonight’s reservations. Run with that.

Marketing & Loyalty:

THEN:

NOW:

Figure out how much you can afford to spend on marketing

Spread it among radio ads, newspaper ads, coupons and events like Restaurant Week

Cross your fingers and hope it works!

Create a clear plan that includes email marketing, events, a loyalty program and special promotions through services like Groupon

Measure return on your marketing efforts so you can repeat the things that work and ditch the things that don’t

On the horizon: Use your integrated restaurant management software to offer different, personalized incentives for first-time visitors, loyal regulars, those who haven’t been in for a while,and those who celebrate their special occasions with you.

Vacations:

THEN:

NOW:

Hahaha!

Check in on your phone or tablet from a beach in Baja.

Data and technology will continue to change the face of restaurant operations. At Swipely, we’re always looking for ways to make restaurateurs’ lives easier by helping them to save time, grow sales or both. As innovation in our industry races forward, our customers – and their customers – will continue to benefit from smarter solutions that improve the way restaurants operate.

Matt leads Swipely’s sales team, offering merchants a product that helps them grow sales through a deeper understanding of their menu, staff and customers. Prior to joining Swipely, he spent 7 years with Seamless.com, leading merchant sales and helping the company to earn recognition by the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 as the fastest growing Internet services company in North America.

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